12:45 p.m. Sandy takes toll on Atlantic City casino business

Atlantic City’s casinos are struggling to deal with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy by laying off workers, cutting back the hours of others, and making still others take unpaid leaves.

The city’s 12 casinos had to close due to the storm for between 5 to 7 days in late October and early November. Even after they reopened, business has slowed considerably.

The Atlantic Club laid off 80 workers to deal with the downturn. The two Trump casinos are making salaried workers take a week of unpaid time off, and barring hourly workers from using vacation days for time they were off during the storm.

A Wall Street analyst predicts Atlantic City casino revenue could be down 25 percent for the next six months and earnings down 40 to 50 percent.

10:45 a.m. NRC reviews Oyster Creek after Sandy

Three Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors are in New Jersey taking a closer look at the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant.

The Oyster Creek plant in Lacey Township issued an alert during Superstorm Sandy when water rose outside the plant, threatening cooling equipment. An alert is the second-lowest designation in a four-tiered warning system.

The reactor was out of service at the time for refueling and maintenance.

NRC Region I administrator Bill Dean said in a statement there are certain observations involving procedures and onsite activities that warrant a closer look.

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7:15 a.m. FEMA opens disaster centers in 19 NJ counties

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $127 million in individual assistance in the two weeks since Superstorm Sandy battered New Jersey.

All residents in the state are eligible and 22 disaster aid centers have opened in 19 counties.

FEMA says more than 190,796 survivors in New Jersey have applied for assistance.

FEMA says 1,384 people have checked into 173 hotels under the agency’s shelter program.

Some 836 FEMA inspectors have completed 33,799 inspections.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from Sandy can apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA.

6 a.m. NJ ends gasoline rationing from storm

Gasoline rationing imposed in New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy has ended.

The odd-even rationing began Nov. 3 because some gas stations couldn’t get fuel while others didn’t have electricity to pump it.

Gov. Chris Christie says gas supplies are plentiful and there are no more lines of motorists waiting for fuel.

Rationing was put in effect in 12 counties in central and northern New Jersey. It ended at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Rationing continues in New York City and on Long Island.

3 a.m. Superstorm priorities for some include saving pets

Superstorm Sandy drove New Jersey residents from their homes, destroyed belongings and forced them to find shelter for themselves — and for their pets, said owners, who recounted tales of a dog swimming through flooded streets and extra food left behind for a tarantula no one was willing to take in.

The Humane Society deployed dozens of first responders using mobile units and boats to bring in about 60 displaced animals each day on the barrier islands hit by the storm.

The absence of animals that were lost or separated from their owners only adds to families’ feelings of displacement and trauma, said members of emergency crews trying to rescue both.

Rescuing animals is mandatory under federal law, which requires local and state governments to include plans for pets in emergency procedures. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds go toward the welfare of animals in disaster zones.

Some find it hard to understand why animals are a key concern in disasters engulfing human lives, but owners feel an attachment and responsibility to their pets, said Niki Dawson, director of disaster services for the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States.

“There’s such a strong bond between people and animals that people will put their lives at risk not to leave a pet behind,” Dawson said. “So they stay, even when they’re told to evacuate, and that puts first responders going back for them at risk.”